Normal Life Field Report #1

A dispatch from the thrilling, unfiltered frontlines of not living in a van

You know those dreamy #vanlife accounts where someone sends updates like, “Just repaired the solar panel with a spoon and a prayer—now off to spearfish dinner in the ocean!”

Yeah, this is not that.

I thought: what if I did a similar update, but from the frontlines of regular, gloriously unglamorous life? Like, “Ran out of toilet paper, used paper towel and powered through.” Or “Saw a horse scare itself with its own fart. Day peaked at 11:43am.”

Once a month, I’ll send paid subscribers a dispatch from the wild terrain of Normal Life. This is the first one. Let me know what you think.

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Normal Life Field Report #1

Location: Green rocking chair in basement of rental townhouse, Grand Junction, Colorado
Date: May 29, 2025, 8:33pm MT
Weather: Warm, 80s, people are starting to complain about the heat and it is far too early for that kind of attitude when temps will increase at least another 20 degrees in the next month
Vibes of the month: Aching to throw my computer into the sun

This has been the month of death by a thousand tasks. I swear to you the kitchen has not stayed clean for more than 12 nanoseconds the entire month. My bed has not been made once. The buns are constantly running out of greens even though I buy them so many greens. The washing machine yearns for freedom.

I started a new project at work called “This meeting could have been a painting” where I attempt to keep my focus by knocking out a small painting while we debate if we should tell Congress they are tiny assholes or giant assholes. I do not know how else to summarize what I do for work.